VOA标准英语2009年-Charles Dickens Legacy Alive in London

Charles Dickens wrote his seminal¹ Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, more than 150 years ago. But even today Dickens and his work remain in the public eye, as a new film version of his story is released.

Jennifer Glasse | London 19 December 2009

 One of Charles Dickens characters, Ebeneezer Scrooge, is lit up in Central London, a key part of the capital's Christmas lights. 

A new movie version of Dickens famous story, A Christmas Carol, has been released and star Jim Carrey told VOA he's happy to be part of the Dickens lore².

"Of course it's inspired millions and millions of people, the entire society.  Its in our DNA³. It inspires us into spiritual alchemy - to be our best selves, to understand that if you have love you are rich," he said.

Co-star Colin Firth says he likes the tale of the miser⁴ who learns to share.

"I think its just a great story, you know, its one of everybody's favorite stories really," he noted⁵.

VOA Image
Actor Bob Hoskins at the London premiere for "A Christmas Carol"

And actor Bob Hoskins says Charles Dickens has always been a part of his life.

"When you learn to read, you start to read the classics, and one of the first things you read is Dickens, you know, he's got to be isn't?" he asked.

While the author has been gone for more than a century, there is a living connection in his great-great-great granddaughter, Lucinda Dickens Hawksley. She too, loves A Christmas Carol.

"It's one of my favorite books, and it never, ever ceases to enthrall⁶ me," she said.  "I read it every Christmas, and I do lots of storytelling with children and I'm amazed that even tiny children love it. It's such a great story."

Hawksley says Dickens probably wrote from the heart about the holiday. But that in his day, it was not nearly as commercial as it is now.

Charles Dickens' great-great-great granddaughter, Lucinda Dickens Hawksley

"Charles Dickens really loved Christmas, and every year he would take his children to a toy shop in Holborn, sadly no longer there, and they would choose one toy something they really wanted, something they probably had their eye on for kind of weeks, and they would buy it there and then and that was really it, that would be their one present from the family," she explained.

In the alleys⁷ and streets of London today there are still pubs Dickens frequented and streets he roamed. Many are in his books.  Hawksley says he was fascinated by the gap between the rich and the poor.  That is why two of his characters in A Christmas Carol are called Ignorance and Want. When the holiday season ends, the Christmas lights are gone, and his famous tale of redemption is no longer in movie theaters, Charles Dickens timeless legacy⁸ can still be seen and felt in the British capital.
 

1 seminal   

adj.影响深远的；种子的

参考例句：

• The reforms have been a seminal event in the history of the NHS.这些改革已成为英国国民保健制度史上影响深远的一件大事。
• The emperor's importance as a seminal figure of history won't be diminished.做为一个开创性历史人物的重要性是不会减弱的。

2 lore   

n.传说；学问，经验，知识

参考例句：

• I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他，向他讨教他的渊博的学问。
• Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。

3 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

4 miser   

n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly)

参考例句：

• The miser doesn't like to part with his money.守财奴舍不得花他的钱。
• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 enthrall   

vt.迷住，吸引住；使感到非常愉快

参考例句：

• She kept her audience enthralled throughout her twenty-minute performance.她的20分钟演出使观众目不转睛。
• They were enthralled with the play.他们被那个戏迷住了。

7 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。